Discover Rackham

Seda Kayim has literally crossed oceans in pursuit of education in the face of adversity. Originally from Turkey, Seda experienced, first hand, the impact of the restrictions the government placed on academic institutions, as well as the authoritative pursuit of urban projects, despite public opposition. She worked as an architectural journalist and media producer after graduating with her B.Sc. and M.Sc.

Tiffany Marra has always had a heart for social justice. Even as a high school student in an agricultural part of California with a majority Latino population, she noticed a clear disparity in the opportunities available to different students. Some students were able to spend extra time studying or socializing, while others went straight to work after school to support their families.

Josh Hyman is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy, the Department of Economics, and the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, so he spends the majority of his waking hours interacting with college students; however, he often wonders: how many students aren’t here that could be? And at what point do finances begin to play a detrimental role?

Maryam is a 4th year candidate in American Culture. Her research looks at martial arts during the black power movement in 60s and 70s, how martial arts were used in other social movements and how we can use and learn from this to build social movements. She explains, “I wanted to look at the long history of black vets doing martial arts. It is so interesting to learn how many black movements thought martial arts were crucial and practical because of the self-defense techniques.

Whether he’s on the campaign trail, advocating for hospitals in rural Illinois, or offering advice for Rackham graduate students, one question guides Neill Mohammad’s day-to-day work: How can he use his experiences to help others?